Healthy Cooking Made Easy

Easy to make in your crock pot all day! Just have to roast the eggplant first to bring out the delicious flavors of the eggplant.Add whatever veggies you have on hand. Serve it up with whole wheat pasta..or stay all veggie and make Spaghetti Squash instead of the pasta! 🙂

1 eggplant, sliced in half. Sprinkle with sea salt and let sit on counter for 10 min. Pre heat oven to 400. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 25 min. Set aside to cool.then dice it up!

2 zucchini diced

2 yellow squash dices

1 small yellow onion diced

1 small package of portabella mushrooms sliced

3 plum tomatoes diced

4 cloves of garlic diced

3 carrots peeled and a quick whirl in food processor…so its smaller than diced

1 large can of tomato sauce

1 tsp oregano

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Set crock pot on low. Add in all vegetables. Pour sauce in pot with seasonings. Mix well. cover and cook for 6 hours on low. Serve with whole wheat pasta and Parmesan cheese

Feeling a bit under the weater today, so I felt like making soup. I always have these ingrdients on hand and it also happened that I bought a whole rotissere chicken from the store the other day.

6 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth

4 cup water

2 carrots diced

5 celery stalks diced

5 cloves of garlic diced

1/2 bunch parsley chopped

1 tbspn Italian seasoning

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

1 Brown rice uncooked

In a large stock pot, add in olive oil and vegetables. Add in the seasonings as well. Cook for about 507 min on med high heat. Pour in broth and water. I had some mushrooms that were ready to be used up, so I sliced them up and added them in too. I pulled apart all of the white meat chicken and placed in the pot too after the broth was in there. I placed the chicken drumsticks and wings into the soup as well….Always adds so much flavor, remove before serving…most of the chicken should fall of the bone. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for about 45-60 min. Add in 1 cups of brown rice and simmer an additional 45 min. Remove the bay leaf and chicken bones and skin.

I like to place low fat triscuit crackers on top of my soups! They soak up all the broth and melt in your mouth! And a little sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese too.

You can make this in the crock pot too, just cook veggies first for 5 min in the olive oil, then add everything into the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.

So excited about this recipe, its a bit of a challenge with the flavors Em trying out..But Im hoping for the best! I loved the Marmalade Sesame Orange Chicken I made in the crock pot, so I was trying to think what else I could do with these preserves I found. So I came across the same brand again..and it was in Apricot..For some reason BBQ short ribs came to mind, and then I thought why not glaze them in the Apricot preserves and then serve BBQ sauce on the side?! So here it is!

3 lbs of beef short ribs

2 small onions sliced thick

1 tbsp molasses

1/4 red wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp cornstarch ( set aside for later)

salt and pepper

Season short ribs with salt and pepper, sprinkle lightly with flour. Brown in pan on med high with 2 tbsp extra light olive oil. Place onions in the bottom of the crock pit, add molasses, red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup water. Place short ribs on top of the onions. Pour Apricot preserves all over short ribs. Cover and set on low for 6 hours.

I found a pastry dough crust in my freezer this morning and I instantly thought Chicken Vegetable Pot Pie! Much like my Leek and Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie..but just lots of veggies and chicken of course. Make a wonderful meal that has been one of my husbands favorites for years..Plus the aroma that fills your kitchen is so comforting; to me its just heaven!

Pre heat oven to 350. In a large pan on the stove top and medium high, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter..add onion and garlic. Heat 2-3 minutes then add chicken. Brown chicken on both sides and add vegetables and herbs . Cook about 5 minutes, add in chicken broth and simmer. Slowly add in fat free creamer and mix well. Add cornstarch, stir in so that the mixture is slightly thicker ( add more if you want it really thick!) Season with salt,pepper and red pepper flakes Pour ingredients into large and deep casserole dish. Roll out pastry dough on top of the pie, and brush with olive oil and sprinkle reduced fat Parmesan cheese on top! Bake 35-40 minutes…Until pastry dough is cooked and browned. Serve in big bowls and Enjoy!

I bought these beautiful italian Chicken Sausages with Fennel at Joesph’s Classic Market ( where I buy all my meats, fish and produce..so fresh and inexpensive) , that I also placed in a separate baking dish, pierced with a knife and baking along with the meatballs. When sausages done cooking slice into 1-2 inch pieces and throw them into the sauce.

I am “semi” baking the meatballs and chicken sausage, so that I can put them in a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot with sauce and cook on low for about 4 hours to incorporate all the flavors….

I also bought these nests of whole wheat linguine, which i will just add to boiling water later to cook the rest of the way..And of course extra Parmesan cheese.

Sunday Morning breakfast can be quick and easy, and that s what I need some mornings! I always use this pancake Krusteaz because its low fat and high fiber as well, with a nice blend of whole wheat and white flour…Plus no one notices the difference 🙂

This AM I added in a snack pack size of natural no sugar added applesauce and 1 tbsp cinnamon, and made them on the stove top. I chopped up a large beautiful Gala apple and cooked it for about 8 in on high with 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp brown sugar ,1 tbsp cinnamon and added 1/4 cup of raisins . Placed on top of the pancakes and drizzled lite maple syrup on top…:) Lets just say the kids devoured it and actually enjoyed the cooked apples. As did my husband and I. Happy Sunday!

I wait to make this recipe every year when the weather gets “cooler”..In South Florida cool is considered anything below 70 degrees :0)

After living in Boston for a bit, I became a connoisseur of Clam Chowder..And let me tell you there are so many ways to make this soup good and some just plain awful..But I found a couple of recipes that I did like and incorporated them into one with a healthy spin on it…So here it is! Hope you love it as much as we do.

1 small butternut squash peeled and idce into cubes

1 large onion diced and divided in half

6-8 cloves of garlic minced and divided

4 stalk of celery chopped

2 carrots chopped coarsely

2-3 lbs of little neck steamers ( when I can I use the Ipswich Steamers..the absolute best steamer I have ever had in my life..I’d do a commercial for them if I could!!)

6 cups fat free chicken broth

2 cups fat free creamer

3.4 cup cooking white wine..(A dry Chardonnay is also helpful)

2 cans of white beans undrained..1 can pour into blender and puree, the other can add to soup

1 tbsp thyme

2 bay leafs

salt and pepper

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

5 slices of Canadian bacon diced

1 a large pot with lid..add half of the onions and garlic, drizzle with olive oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter…Cook for about 5 min on high heat and add in white wine, reduce heat slightly. add in rinsed steamers and cover with lid cook for 8-10 min. All the clam should be open and smiling at you. 🙂 resist the urge to eat one..one less for the soup. Set colander on top of a bowl and drain steamers in the colander. Let cool. Once cooled off remove all the steamers and put into another bowl..Rinse and strain them once, Stir the remaining broth from the steamers and pour again thru colander into another bowl..slowly so that the sand stay in the bottom. Set aside as well.

Place all the veggies into the pot , drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Cook for 10 min stirring often..Add in Canadian bacon can of beans, chicken broth and seasonings plus the bay leafs. Add the broth from the steamers as well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat..Simmer for awhile. Add in steamers…again resist the temptation to just eat one of those succulent things!Take 2 cups of the soup into a measuring cup and add in the fat free creamer slowly and then return back to the pot. Simmer on low for about 20 in and then place lid on stock pot and turn off the heat!

Ladle into BIG bowls and serve with a warm Whole Wheat Baguette to soak up all the broth…Don’t forget the hot sauce 🙂

Another “Do-Over” recipe this morning! Waste not, want not! Couldn’t let this all go to waste from the other nites Cubanelle Stuffed Peppers..So I heated the mixture in the pan and then added in 5 egg whites and 1 egg beaten, scrambled it..Then topped with 2% cheddar cheese. Placed in Spinach wraps and served Mango Salsa on the side..Very filling, I could barely finish it, but not my husband …he devoured it after adding a little hot sauce to it 🙂

Very excited to make this Salmon tonite for a friend of mine who loves Salmon! Adding a little sugar and spice to make it fun!

2 servings of Salmon

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper

agave or honey

Mix ingredients in bowl except for agave or honey. Pre heat oven to 375. Rub in seasoning on each Salmon.. place in prepared baking dish and Bake for 35minutes. Drizzle agave nectar or honey over each fillet.

The Monday rush is over! Wanted to make a vegetarian dish tonight to give my body a break. I could eat like a vegetarian every day ( with the exception of eggs) and not miss the meat. Its nice to give the body a break, it reduces inflammation and really allows your digestive system to regulate… Well any whoo..I used my Spaghetti Squash Casserole recipe in mind..but you know minus the meat. I have a ton of veggies from the weekend when making my Turkey Vegetable Soup…So I cooked down the tomatoes first with onions and garlic, italian seasoning , salt and pepper for about 10 mins. and then threw it into the food processor and gave it a good whirl. I let it sit there for a bit while I chopped up zucchini, squash, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and carrots. I cut some corners by cooking the spaghetti squash in the microwave, sliced in half and face down with a 1/2 cup of water. Nuked it for about 12 -15 minutes. When done removed the water and scooped out the squash int o the baking dish I used to cook it in. While it was cooking, I cooked the vegetable mixture that I chopped up and added in some Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and 1 tsp red pepper flakes. I also had a bag of Soy crumbles on hand that I added to the mix.Cooked on the stove top for about 8 min. Then I poured on the tomato sauce I made in the food processor. Added it to the top of the spaghetti squash in the baking dish and topped with 2% Mozzarella cheese. Baked for 20 min at 375…Very good and filling with all the vegetables! I just love clean and fresh eating! It makes awesome leftovers too 🙂